Up front: Cowichan salutes its beloved bear on his retirement On stage: Annie get your gun, Vancouver Island frontier-style
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For all the news of the Cowichan region as it happens, plus stories from around British Columbia, go to our website www.cowichannewsleader.com Your news leader since 1905
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Local driver airlifted from crash scene at TCH and Herd Early Sunday: Crash closes highway for several hours Peter W. Rusland
News Leader Pictorial
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pickup-truck driver was airlifted to Victoria General Hospital from Cowichan District Hospital early Sunday after a two-truck crash on the Trans-Canada Highway at Herd Road. The collision happened when a semi-truck, southbound on the TCH, hit a Ford F-150 that was eastbound on Herd Road, police said of the crash that closed the highway for several hours. The drivers’ identities, and the wreck’s cause, were unavailable at press time Tuesday. News Leader Pictorial lensman Andrew Leong said the totalled, white pickup — whose driver was extricated by ¿re¿ghters using the Jaws of Life — landed against the fence of a former Esso gas-station at the Herd Road corner. The white semi-transport truck, reading Wallace & Carey (commercial distributors), had its front-end mangled. The big rig blocked the highway where ambulance paramedics tended the driver’s injured ankle, Leong said of the 1 a.m. scene littered with debris, and smeared with Àuids. more on page 14
FireÄghters battle Thursday’s midnight house blaze, near Cowichan Bay. The blaze left an Aros Road family homeless. The investigation into the cause continues.
Andrew Leong
Cowichan Bay area blaze destroys family home off Telegraph Road Three-alarm blaze: Firefighters from Mill Bay and Duncan called in to help bring house fire under control Peter W. Rusland
News Leader Pictorial
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Cowichan Bay-area family is homeless after Thursday night’s ¿re claimed their rancher-type home at 784 Aros Road. The blaze off Telegraph Road was battled by Cowichan Bay ¿re¿ghters backed by Mill Bay and Duncan hall’s tanker trucks, Cow Bay’s chief Ken
Bulcock said of the 11:55 p.m. ¿re during which a propane-tank fuel-line broke. “We heard the noise of it leaking and turned it off,” Bulcock said of the 500-gallon tank that could have done serious damage had it blown. Still the three-bedroom, insured home was destroyed. “The roof was inside the house when we got there,” he said, noting no injuries though a family cat may have died in the ¿re. “It’s believed the ¿re started outside in
the back-porch area.” Photographer Andrew Leong stayed way back. “It was a long driveway, and there were no hydrants nearby so Duncan and Mill Bay hall’s trucks kept ¿lling the (reserve) pool,” Leong said Those tanker rigs were ordered by Cow Bay’s deputy-chief, Cam Ferguson, soon after he reached the fully involved inferno scene, said Leong. Crews fought the ¿re until about 4 a.m.
“The family was home and they all got out safely, but ambulances were standing by,” the Leader’s lensman said of the ¿re that “Àattened” the home. The family’s name hasn’t been released but Bulcock believed those folks are staying with neighbours or family. They also got assistance from Cowichan Valley Regional District’s emergency program. The ¿re’s cause was under investigation at press time Friday.
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